Silent Understanding
by wolfdemonchica
Summary: Inuyasha's temper has gotten worse, and Kagome is his target. When Shippo tries to get his mother away from the violent half-demon, they run into a familiar face; Sesshomaru. But before he can get any answers from her about the fresh bruises on her neck, Inuyasha swoops in and takes her away only to abandon her to a group of dragon demons. Will Sesshomaru decide to save her?
1. Chapter 1

Silent Understanding

I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: A Painful Journey

Kagome was sitting in a small hut visiting Sango, Miroku, and their newborn baby girl. They were all happily playing with her and enjoying eachothers' company.

"She's beautiful guys. I'm so happy for you." Kagome said. Miroku gave her a very mischevious grin.

"Now we just need to find a good man for you to marry, Kagome." He told her. Her and Sango laughed.

"I don't think so, Miroku. I don't trust your judgement." She said with a smile. "Besides, I'm in no hurry. Right now, I just want to spend some quality time with my son. Which reminds me...We should get going. Do you guys need anything from the other village while we're there?"

"No thank you, Kagome. We have everything we need for now. Just try to enjoy your journey with Shippo." Sango said sleepily. Kagome rolled her eyes in irritation.

"That would be alot easier if Inuyasha hadn't insisted on going with us." She said angrily. Kagome no longer had any feelings for the half-demon. She had decided, only a few months after the final battle with Naraku, that Inuyasha was far too angry and unpredictable to be with.

Inuyasha was still bitter towards her and recently, she would get a bad feeling every time Inuyasha would come near her. She didn't want Inuyasha to accompany her and Shippo to the large village that they wanted to to some shopping in. She didn't trust him at all. It would take a few days for them to get there, and she was not looking forward to being stuck with Inuyasha for such a long period of time.

"Just ignore him, Kagome. Don't let him ruin your trip." Miroku reassured her. Inuyasha suddenly walked in looking very annoyed.

"What's taking you so long, wench? We need to leave." He snapped. Kagome sighed, giving Sango and Miroku a hug, before saying goodbye and leaving the hut with Inuyasha.

When they got outside, Shippo bounded towards them and happily jumped into Kagome's arms.

"Are you ready to go, Mommy?" He asked. Having Shippo with her made her feel a little bit better about the journey. Surely Inuyasha wouldn't be too mean with Shippo around.

"Yes I am. Just need to stop by the storehouse to grab a few blankets for the trip." She replied. Inuyasha growled, causing both Kagome and Shippo to jump.

"Hurry the hell up! We should have already left by now!" He snarled at her. She really regretted removing his enchanted beads over three years ago. Since then, he had become much more verbally abusive towards her.

When they were done gathering supplies for the trip, they bagan walking north towards the woods.

They walked in silence for a few hours until it started to get dark. Kagome found a small clearing with a river close by, and decided to set up camp. After she got a fire going, she caught a few fish for their dinner, skewering each one with a stick and setting them by the fire to cook.

After they ate, Kagome tucked Shippo into bed and arranged her own bed next to his. Once Shippo was fast asleep, she got up and started towards the river. But Inuyasha blocked her path.

"And just where the hell do you think you're going?" He asked.

"I am going to the river to clean up a bit." She said, trying to hide her irritation. Suddenly he grabbed her upper arm, his claws biting into her skin, and started pulling her towards the river. When she tried to pull her arm away, he squeezed even tighter, refusing to let go.

"Let me go, Inuyasha! That hurts!" She shouted. He just ignored her and continued to drag her along.

When they reached the river, Inuyasha slammed her back into a tree and moved his hand from her arm, up to her throat.

"What are you doing, Inuyasha?! Please, let me go!" She begged. Tears started to form in her eyes as she grew increasingly afraid of the man she used to consider her best friend.

"Shut up! I'm going to get what I want out of you whether you like it or not, bitch." He stated coldly. She began thrashing and struggling even more when he untied her kimono and yanked it off of her, making his intentions very obvious.

"Stop it! Please!" She cried, trying to pry his hand away from her throat. He punched her hard in the stomach, leaving her coughing and gasping for air.

"I said shut up!" He snarled. He threw her onto the hard ground and trapped her beneath him, releasing her neck to cover her mouth.

Kagome panicked and did the only thing she could think of to stop him. She swiftly brought her knee up and slammed it into his groin as hard as she could. He howled in pain and jumped away from her. She rolled over and attempted to crawl away, but he grabbed a fistfull of her hair and yanked her up off of the ground.

"You little bitch!" He shouted, before throwing her into the shallow river. She landed hard, a sharp stone slicing into her left side and causing her to cry out in pain. Inuyasha walked into the river and knealt down next to her with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Keep your mouth shut about this, or I'll kill that little pest that you call your son." He threatened. Without another word, he walked away, back towards the camp site.

Kagome was terrified, hurt, and cold. The freezing water against her naked body felt like tiny razors slicing into her skin. She didn't want to move, but she had to go back to protect Shippo. So she dragged herself out of the water and up the bank, towards her kimono. Grabbing the small bag of bandages she always kept with her, she started patching up the bloody gash in her side as best as she could. When the wound was covered, she hastily put her kimono back on and started the painful walk back to camp.

Kagome ended up staying awake all night, afraid to fall asleep around Inuyasha. She wrapped a red scarf that Kaede had given her around her bruised neck so Shippo wouldn't ask questions. She knew he would smell the blood from her wound, but she simply told him that she had slipped in the river while bathing and got hurt.

Shippo stopped asking questions but grew more and more concerned about her. She barely ate anything and looked like she hadn't been sleeping at all.

Three nights later, he decided to pretend to sleep so he could keep an eye on her. When Kagome thought he was asleep, she left in the direction of a small hot spring they had seen earlier. He immediately got suspicious when Inuyasha followed her.

When they were out of sight, he quietly started following their scents through the trees. After a few minutes of walking, he spotted Inuyasha up ahead with Kagome. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Inuyasha punch his mother in the gut. He had never seen Inuyasha act like this before, and it terrified him. He quickly realized that Inuyasha had re-opened Kagome's wound when the smell of fresh blood hit his nose.

He strained his ears, trying to hear what Inuyasha was saying to her. His eyes grew wide with shock when he heard Inuyasha threaten her.

"If you say a single word to Shippo, I'll kill both of you." He snarled in her face. Shippo didn't want to see his mother get hurt anymore, so when it looked like they were going to return to camp, he ran back and resumed pretending to sleep.

He heard them walk into camp a few minutes later and settle down to sleep. Shippo remained awake, trying to come up with a plan to get them both away from Inuyasha before things could get any worse.

The next morning, Shippo woke Kagome and Inuyasha up early, eager to put his plan into action.

"Inuyasha, can you catch a boar for us? I saw a small group of them not too far away." He asked. Being a dog demon, Inuyasha loved to show off.

"Of course I can. What are you two going to do?" Inuyasha asked, clearly suspicious. Shippo gave him a huge grin.

"There are some berry bushes nearby. I thought maybe me and Mommy could make something sweet for after we eat." He said with complete innocence. Inuyasha gave him a cocky smile.

"All right! Maybe I'll catch two boars! We can have a little feast." He said proudly before running in the direction Shippo had told him.

When Inuyasha was out of hearing range, Shippo turned to his mother.

"Come on, Mommy. We're leaving." He said firmly. Kagome's eyes widened. There's no way Shippo could know what's been happening to her. He grabbed her hand and began leading her in the opposite direction from Inuyasha. Shippo sighed.

"I followed you guys last night. I saw what he did to you, and I heard him threaten you. I'm getting us away from him before it gets worse." He said, sounding way more mature than he was. Kagome's eyes started tearing up again as she watched her son trying to save her.

Suddenly, Shippo caught a familiar scent and changed direction, taking them towards someone that he hoped would protect them for at least a short period of time.

When they reached the edge of a small clearing, Shippo stopped. Turning to Kagome, he gently removed her scarf to reveal the angry-looking purple bruises circling her neck.

"Stay right here, Mommy. I'll be right back." He said, handing the scarf back to her. She was a bit confused, but she did as he said, sitting by a nearby tree while he ran into the clearing.

Shippo ran forward, hoping that he would be able to convince someone they once viewed as an enemy to help. When he reached his destination, he bowed respectfully.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I desperately need your help." Shippo pleaded.

 **Author's Note: Hey guys. I'm new here. Just decided to upload one of my recent fics. Hope you enjoy it. Just because I'm new, doesn't mean I can't handle criticism. Let me know what you think about my first chapter, and I'll update soon if I get good reviews.**

 **Also, I've been having writer's block, so any ideas are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Surprising Allies

Sesshomaru looked at the young fox kit, recognizing him as one of his half-brother's traveling companions. He could smell fear and anger rising from the small youkai, and it piqued his curiosity.

"What is the matter, kit?" He asked in a bored tone. Shippo straightened up and turned towards the trees with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Inuyasha has done something terrible. Please come with me. I'll show you what I mean." He said sadly. Now he was very curious. He nodded and followed the fox into the woods. What he saw when they stopped had his blood boiling.

Kagome looked up when she heard Shippo return, only to meet a very familiar pair of amber colored eyes.

"Sesshomaru? What are you doing here?" She asked. He knealt down in front of her, inspecting the bruises on her neck. When he reached forward to tilt her chin up, she flinched away. He could smell her fear, so he withdrew his hand.

"Are these the only injuries you have, miko?" He asked. She didn't have a chance to answer him, because Shippo spoke up.

"No. She has more." He said with tears in his eyes. Before Sesshomaru could ask any more questions, Inuyasha sped past him taking a terrified Kagome with him.

Sesshomaru growled and stood up.

'That half-breed has gone too far.' He thought to himself.

Kagome didn't dare scream or struggle, knowing Inuyasha would hurt her if she did. When they reached their campsite, he dropped her onto the hard ground.

"I told you not to open your mouth, wench! You'll regret that!" He snarled, lashing out at her with his claws. She tried to avoid the attack, but his claws connected with her chest leaving four shallow gashes.

"I didn't tell him anything, Inuyasha! He figured it out on his own!" She cried, holding the wound in her chest. Inuyasha sniffed the air, then turned to her with a malicious smile and chuckled.

"Looks like we've got company." He said. Kagome turned around and saw half a dozen dragon youkai coming their way. Out of habit, she crawled behind Inuyasha for protection. The youkai stopped a few yards away.

"Give us the girl and we will let you live, half-breed." The leader hissed. Inuyasha laughed and grabbed Kagome by the hair, throwing her at the dragons' feet.

"You can have her." He said with hatred. The dragon leader lifted her up by the arm and gave Inuyasha an evil smirk.

"Wise choice." He hissed. She watched in horror as Inuyasha turned and walked away, abandoning her to a horde of dangerous youkai.

"Please help my Mommy, Lord Sesshomaru! Inuyasha is going to hurt her again!" Shippo pleaded.

Sesshomaru glared in the direction that Inuyasha had gone. He knew his half-brother was stupid, But he never thought he would go so far as to harm a woman. He turned to the crying fox kit with a cold look.

"Stay here. You will only get in the way." He demanded. Shippo nodded as Sesshomaru disappeared into the woods. He silently prayed that Sesshomaru would get there in time.

Sesshomaru sped throught the trees, following Inuyasha's scent. When he finally caught up with him, the miko was nowhere to be seen. In one blindingly fast movement, he darted across the campsite, grabbed Inuyasha by the throat, and picked him up off of the ground. Inuyasha didn't even have time to react.

"Where is she, Inuyasha?" He growled at the surprised hanyo. Inuyasha chuckled evilly.

"By now, she's probably dragon food." He sneered. Sesshomaru's eyes bled red and he squeezed Inuyasha's neck until it was about ready to snap.

"Which way did they go?" He asked, loosening his death grip. Inuyasha coughed a few times before responding.

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. What do you care? That bitch deserves her fate." He said sadistically.

Sesshomaru flung Inuyasha into a nearby tree hard enough to snap it in half. Then he turned away, following the foul stench of the dragons.

The dragons had tied ropes around Kagome's wrists and neck and she was being roughly dragged through the woods. Aside from the bluish-black wings and tails, the youkai were in their humanoid forms. Through the thick trees, Kagome could see the large cave that they were approaching.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked. When none of them responded, she stopped walking and pulled on the rope. The leader turned around and glared at her.

"We will take you wherever we please, woman." He hissed at her. The he yanked on the rope, causing her to fall forward and scrape her arms on an exposed tree root.

Let's hurry up and get inside, Kiske. It's about to rain." One of them said to the leader.

Kiske walked up to Kagome, lifting her up by the back of her neck and releasing her.

"You can either walk, or I can drag you. Make your choice, woman." He demanded angrily. Giving him a cold glare, she sent a burst of spiritual energy through the rope. The purifying energy burned his hand and he let out a feral snarl, grabbing her by the throat. She could feel her neck beginning to burn from the poison that was seeping from his hand, but she acted like she couldn't feel it. She had no desire to look weak in front of these monsters.

Reluctantly, she nodded, agreeing to follow. He smirked arrogantly and released her neck, turning towards the cave again. She had lost track of where they were a few miles back, so she glanced around, trying to find something familiar. But all she could see was tall and sturdy oak trees surrounding them. Most of their branches were bare, the orange and yellow leaves creating a colorful carpet on the forest floor. There were still a few green leaves on the branches clinging to life and refusing to fall. Winter was fast approaching and the chill was starting to set in.

She knew without a doubt that Inuyasha had no intentions of saving her this time, so she had to figure out how to escape on her own. She desperately wanted to get back to her son. She decided to play it safe for now and do as she was told to avoid getting hurt or killed. Kiske's poison was slowly spreading up to her right cheek and down to her right shoulder, leaving dark purple scars in its wake. If she was injured too badly from not cooperating, she would have no chance to escape. It was painful, but she remained unflinchingly strong.

When they reached the cave, she could see that the entrance was at least twelve feet tall and just as wide. She began to wonder just what exactly these dragons had planned for her. When they got to the center of the large cavern, she noticed six smaller tunnels leading in different directions. Each dragon went into a tunnel, Kiske leading her down the farthest one to the right. These small tunnels were very dark, with no light sources at all. She was walking blindly, trying not to trip over the bumpy, uneven ground.

After a few minutes of stumbling through the dark tunnel, Kagome could see a dim light ahead of them. They walked into a large, dimly-lit room with a fire blazing in the center of the rocky floor and a large wooden cage attached to the wall on the right side of the room. She was now completely alone with the leader of the dragon youkai.

Kiske was an intimidating figure. He was almost as tall as Sesshomaru, and had about the same build. He had shoulder-length black hair that was tied at the back of his neck, dark green eyes, and very pale skin with three long, jagged scars that started under his right eye and stretched down to his collarbone. He led her over to the cage and turned to face her, grabbing her wrists.

"Try anything stupid, and I will tie you up again." He warned, untying the ropes around her wirsts and neck. Then he opened the door of the cage and shoved her in. She turned around with a cold glare and watched him loch the door.

"What exactly are you planning to do to me?" She snapped.

"Nothing, as long as you do as you're told. Maybe you can teach your new companion some manners while you're in there." He stated. Then he walked over to a chest that was close to the fire and pulled out some fur blankets, making a bed. When he seemed to be asleep, Kagome turned around to see just who or what was in the cage with her. She quickly spotted something small huddled up on a pile of blankets in the far left corner of the cage.

Slowly, she walked closer, crouching down when she was only a few feet away. When she reached for the tattered brown blanket that covered the small, trembling figure, she heard a quiet whimper.

Grabbing the edge of the blanket, she carefully pulled it away, revealing a little girl with a fluffy black tail. She looked to be about the same age as Shippo. Maybe younger. A ratty old green kimono, that was a few sizes too big, looked to be the only item of clothing that she owned. She had medium length black hair that was pulled back into a high ponytail, and fair skin that made her deep blue, tear-filled eyes stand out in the dark room.

"Please don't hurt me." She cried quietly. Kagome noticed how skinny she was, and the new and old bruises on her face and neck. She also had blisters on her hands and feet.

"I won't hurt you, sweetie." Kagome whispered, gently scooping the small child into her arms. She sat down on the pile of blankets, placing the girl in her lap facing her.

"You're a wolf youkai, aren't you?" She asked. When the little girl nodded, Kagome brushed her hand across one of the bruises on her cheek. She didn't even flinch. "Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any." She said sadly. "I was a baby when the dragons killed them and took me away. I don't even remember what they looked like."

"What's your name?" She asked.

"I don't have one. The dragons just call me mongrel." She looked away sadly. Kagome was furious, but she smiled at the wolf child.

"How about I call you Isamu?" She asked. The girl smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes, nodding shyly. "You know, Isamu, I have a son about the same age as you. His name is Shippo and he's a fox youkai." Isamu's eyes widened in amazement.

"You have a youkai son? Most humans hate us." She said with awe. Kagome giggled.

"Well I'm not most humans." She said. Then she got a very serious look ing her eyes. "We're going to get out of here, Isamu. I promise."

Isamu nodded with a hopeful look in her eyes. Then she blushed slightly and looked down at her hands.

"Can you be my Mommy too? I have nowhere else to go." She whispered bashfully. Kagome smiled again and kissed her forehead.

"I would love to be your Mommy. And I'm sure Shippo would love to have a little sister." She said. Isamu happily curled up on her new mother's chest and wagged her tail. They fell asleep together that night, determined to escape their captors and reunite with their family.

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. My writer's block has been horrible lately, and I'm working without a muse. So, needless to say, I'm having a rough time with it. Thank you all for your reviews! I really enjoy writing, and the positive feedback just makes me feel even better. I'll try to get the next chapter written as quickly as I can! Thanks again! And I hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Practice Makes Perfect

Kagome woke up early the next morning after a very strange dream.

~Flashback~

Kagome stood in a beautiful meadow that was filled with white daisies, yellow tulips, and pretty purple lilacs. The meadow made her feel completely at peace.

"Hello, Kagome." She heard the familiar voice. When she turned around, she was met by Kikyo's smiling face. It had been years since she died, and she thought about her quite often.

"Kikyo? What are you doing here? And where are we? This place is so peaceful." She said, looking around.

"I created this dream. I am here to help you unlock your true powers. I am going to teach you how to use your spiritual powers for both offense and defense so you can protect yourself and those you care about. And I have seen what Inuyasha has been doing to you. I wish I could've done something to help. I am truly sorry." She said sadly.

"It's not your fault, Kikyo. I guess after I told him I didn't want to be with him, he just snapped." Kagome explained. Kikyo walked forward and grabbed Kagome's hands in a comforting gesture.

"Well, that's in the past. Now it is time to practice." Kikyo said seriously. She began pushing vast ammounts of power into Kagome's hands. Every nerve ending in her body felt like it was on fire, but she held on and allowed it to happen. When they were done, Kikyo instructed her to sit down across from her in the grass. She was shaky from the power transfer, but she managed to do as she was told.

Throughout the remainder of the dream, Kikyo taught her how to focus her powers in new ways. She learned how to create barriers and even small weapons, such as daggers, out of spiritual energy.

~End of Flashback~

Kiske and Isamu were still sleeping, so she decided to practice what Kikyo had taught her. She held her hands out in front of her, about a foot apart. Carefully, she formed a ball of spiritual energy between her hands, manipulating the energy until it looked like a glowing pink dagger.

She practiced for about an hour, creating multiple dagger at one time and maintaining them for as long as she could. It drained her strength quickly and made Kiske's poison spread faster, so she had to perfect the technique in the next few days before the poison could completely drain her of all her strength. The purple scars were now spiderwebbed across the right side of her face and down her right arm, ending just above her elbow.

At this point, she could only maintain six daggers for about thirty minutes. But she knew that daggers wouldn't do much to the dragons. She needed to practice until she could make longer blades, or even arrows, and maintain them long enought for her and Isamu to escape.

'Maybe I can convince Kiske to remove the poison.' She thought to herself. If she could get the poison removed, she would have more time to hone her skills and a better chance for them both to escape in one piece.

Isamu began to stir, stretching and yawning on the lumpy pile of blankets. When she saw that Kagome was awake, she sat up with a sleepy smile and rubbed her eyes.

"Good morning, Mommy. Did you sleep well?" She asked.

"Yes, miko. How did you sleep? Have you decided to be obedient?" Kiske hissed from the door of the cage. Kagome gave him an uncaring look, but decided to press her luck.

"I will do as I'm told, but I have two conditions." She said in a bored tone. Kiske chuckled coldly.

"You're not exactly in any position to be making demands." He said with a smirk. Kagome stood up and walked over to the door to face him.

"I think that you will find my requests quite reasonable, given the current situation." She said confidently. He thought for a few moments before responding.

"Fine. What are your requests?" He asked.

"First, we need a better bed in here. You can't expect us to work if we can't get any sleep." She said. He nodded.

"I can accept that. And your second request?" He asked curiously.

"I want you to remove your poison from my body. If I am too weak to work, then I am of no use to you." She said, pointing to her neck. Kiske laughed.

"Unfortunately, little miko, dragon poison cannot be removed so easily. I can suck some of the poison out, but it will not completely go away. I will have to do it every few days, but it will keep you from weakening too quickly." He explained.

"I can handle that. Do we have a deal?" She asked, putting her hand through the bars. He flashed her a toothy grin, but instead of shaking her hand, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm through the bars.

"Deal." He said. Then he sank his fangs into the bend of her arm, causing her to hiss in pain. She remained strong while he sucked the poison out, squeezing the bars until she thought they would break. Isamu whimpered behind her.

When he finally removed his fangs from her flesh, she pulled her arm back and sat down shakily. He chuckled and wiped her blood from his lips with the back of his hand.

"I will return shortly with your new bed. I believe we have a few futon mattresses in one of the unused caves." He said, walking out of the room.

When he was gone, Isamu crawled into Kagome's lap to check on her. Curious, Kagome pulled up the sleeve of her kimono to reveal unscarred skin. Isamu gasped.

"Mommy, the scars on your face are gone too!" She said happily. The scars still circled her neck, but she felt stronger already.

By the end of the day, they had rearranged the cage. The new mattress was at the back of the cage with some newer and softer blankets folded at the foot of it. They were also given one extra kimono each that they quickly changed into, and they were currently sitting by the fire, washing their clothes in a large tub of water.

Kiske was cooking a few fish and some boar meat over the fire, and the smell was filling the room. Kagome did her best to ignore the smell of food, but her stomach betrayed her by rumbling loud enough for Kiske to hear it.

"You two, come over here and eat." He demanded. They did as they were told and sat next to the fire. He handed them both a plate with one fish and a small piece of boar meat each. They ate quietly, never looking up from their plates.

When they were done eating, they finished washing their clothes and laid them by the fire to dry. Kiske locked them back in their cage for the night and went to sleep in his usual spot next to the fire while Kagome and Isamu curled up together on their new bed. This time, when Kagome fell asleep, she knew who and what to expect.

"Welcome back, Kagome." Kikyo said with a smile. "Ready to practice some more?" Kagome nodded happily and sat down across from her in the grass.

"Good. Today, we will make arrows and work on how long you can maintain them." She said confidently. Kikyo showed her how to make a dozen arrows with her spiritual energy and told her to shoot them at the apples on a nearby apple tree to perfect her aim.

After what seemed like hours, she could finally hit an apple every time without fail. When she turned around, Kikyo was smiling proudly.

"What is it, Kikyo?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Did you realize that you have been shooting with the same twelve arrows for almost six hours?" She asked happily. Kagome turned back to the tree and, sure enough, those same twelve arrows were floating in the air, waiting to be fired again. Kagome smiled happily and hugged Kikyo.

"Thank you, Kikyo! I can finally maintain them long enough to escape!" She said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Just be careful, Kagome. By the time you get away, you will be very weak. Just since you've been practicing tonight, Kiske's poison had spread pretty far. It will be very dangerous for you to maintain that many arrows for more than an hour or two." Suddenly, Kikyo looked lost in thought. After a few moments, she blinked rapidly.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, concerned. Kikyo smiled mischeviously.

"Looks like you're going to have some help escaping." She smirked.

Before she could ask what Kikyo meant, she was awoken by a loud bang coming from outside the cave.

 **Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been really sick for quite a while now. I really hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! And I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. I will put chapter 4 up soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Escape from Hell

Kagome's eyes shot open and she jumped to her feet. Isamu was absolutely terrified, pressing herself into the back corner of the cage. When she saw Kagome stand up, she leapt into her arms. Kiske ran into the room right before another explosion was heard, the cave walls shaking violently in response.

"What the hell is going on, Kiske?!" Kagome yelled. He stormed over and opened the cage door, pulling them out angrily.

"We're under attack by a dog. I'm assuming he's here because of you, wench." He hissed, grabbing her by the throat. "How did he find us?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She said, irritated. Kagome's head was buzzing with confusion. The only dogs she knew were Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

'Sesshomaru isn't the hero type, so it can't be him.' She thought to herself. 'And Inuyasha wants me dead. Who the hell else could it be?'

Suddenly, Kiske began squeezing her neck even harder. Kagome furiously clawed at his hand, trying to get air into her lungs.

"You're lying!" He roared, picking her up off the ground. Isamu growled from Kagome's shoulder and leapt forward, sinking her fangs into Kiske's wrist.

Kiske dropped Kagome and Isamu leapt down to her side. Kagome coughed and gasped, desperately trying to breathe normally again.

"You're going to regret that, you little mongrel!" He growled.

"Leave her alone, Kiske!" Kagome screamed angrily. She stood up shakily and pushed Isamu behind her. Then she created a dozen arrows without even trying. But they looked different this time. Instead of pink, the arrows were red and pulsing with her anger.

Kiske seemed surprised, but he stood his ground.

"You won't get out of here alive, miko. So I suggest you back down." He said confidently.

Kagome was trembling with rage. She could feel the poison spreading across her face and down her arm, nearly to her wrist. She knew she had to act quickly if she was going to get them out in one piece.

She sent two of the arrows flying. He dodged the first, but he was caught off guard and the second one hit his right shoulder. It sent him flying backwards and pinned him to the wall of the cave.

Another explosion shook the cave and caused a few large boulders to fall from the ceiling. One of them smashed into Kiske's left wing, giving them the perfect opportunity to run.

"Even if you escape, you won't last long. The poison will kill you within hours." He hissed as they ran towards the entrance.

Kagome didn't stop. Isamu quickly led them through the dark tunnel. She could easily see in the dark, so she had to go first.

"We're almost out, Mommy." Isamu whispered. "But I can smell two dragons up ahead."

Kagome could see a faint light filtering into the cave, so she grabbed Isamu and put her on her shoulder. She walked forward until she could see into the main area of the cave, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen.

She saw two dragons, swords drawn, facing the mouth of the cave, and she could hear more dragons fighting outside. Using the element of surprise, she sent two of the eleven remaining arrows flying towards the oblivious pair of youkai. Both arrows found their marks, striking both dragons in the back and piercing through to their hearts.

They ran to the mouth of the cave and Kagome instantly recognized the source of the explosions.

Sesshomaru was standing at least forty yards away, squaring off against two more dragons. There was another dragon, laying in a pool of blood, just behind his comrades. The dragons were throwing bombs at Sesshomaru but he destroyed them all in mid-air with his poison whip.

'I have to help him.' Kagome thought. Her strength was draining rapidly, so she combined the last nine arrows into three powerful ones and ran forward. When she was half-way to the fighting youkai, she used one last burst of power to shoot the three pulsing arrows towards the dragons.

They noticed the arrows and dodged them, but it was just enough of a distraction for Sesshomaru to send his poison whip flying and decapitate both of them.

Exhausted and relieved, Kagome fell to her knees. The purple scars from the poison ended at her wrist, but now she could feel more scars stretching across her chest and stomach, and going down her right hip. Isamu jumped down from her shoulder to check on her.

"Mommy, are you alright?" She asked. The concern on the small wolf's face was obvious.

"I'm not sure, sweetie." Kagome said breathlessly. When Sesshomaru reached them, Isamu started to growl, taking up a protective stance in front of her mother. Kagome placed her hand on Isamu's head and smiled.

"It's okay, Isamu. This is Sesshomaru. He's a friend." She said weakly, soothing the pup's fears. Isamu nodded and smiled at Sesshomaru before stepping aside for him to inspect Kagome's condition. Sesshomaru knealt down in front of the exhausted miko and immediately smelled the poison that was coursing through her body.

"You're infected with dragon acid. How are you still alive?" He asked in a bored tone. Kagome laughed quietly before lifting her head to meet his eyes.

"I'm not really sure. But I know I won't last much longer. Kiske said that his poison cannot be removed." She said with a smirk.

"It can be removed. But it is difficult and painful." He told her. Kagome's heart lifted. She was certain the poison would end up killing her.

"Where is my son?" She asked, looking around.

"The kit is back at my camp. We will retrieve him and head to my estate to have the poison removed." He said, standing up again.

At some unseen command, A-Un, Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon appeared from the underbrush and walked towards them cautiously. Isamu started growling again when she saw the approaching dragon.

"Calm yourself, pup. A-Un is a friend." Sesshomaru said.

When A-Un reached them, Sesshomaru held his hand out to Kagome. She was a bit surprised that he was offering to help, but she took his hand, which was warmer than she expected.

He pulled her to her feet and helped her walk to A-Un's side. He's a tall dragon, his back coming up to her neck. She nearly squeaked in surprise when Sesshomaru grabbed her hips and lifted her up into the saddle. Then he gently picked Isamu up and placed her in front of Kagome. He formed a silvery cloud of youki around his feet and rose into the air, A-Un following closely behind him.

"Hold on tight, miko. We must hurry if we are going to have any chance of removing the poison successfully." He said calmly. Kagome nodded, and they sped off.

By the time they reached Sesshomaru's camp, only two hours later, Kagome could barely keep her eyes open. A-Un continued flying while Sesshomaru swooped down and grabbed a very surprised Shippo.

When he was once again flying next to them, Shippo climbed onto his shoulder and gasped.

"Mommy?! Sesshomaru, what's wrong with her?" He cried. Kagome was slumped over in the saddle, fighting to stay conscious. She could see black dots dancing in her vision, and it was growing more difficult for her to breathe.

"She has been poisoned." He said simply. He got right up next to the speeding dragon and deposited Shippo into the saddle when he saw how bad she was getting. Then he pulled Kagome off of the dragon and held her bridal style.

"Sessho...maru...What...are you...doing?" She asked weakly.

"You would have fallen off if I had left you on A-Un." He stated. "You must stay awake. We are almost there."

"I'll...try." She said. She continued to fight back the darkness that threatened to consume her and render her unconscious for another hour until they finally landed. Sesshomaru's estate was impressive. Even in her weakened state, she could appreciate that the estate was not unnecessarily massive, and the cherry blossom trees scattered across the grounds made it feel peaceful.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Poison Control

The next few hours were a blur to Kagome. She faintly remembered being taken to the healing wing of the estate, and hearing Sesshomaru ordering the healers to grab a bunch of different herbs for a very complicated antidote.

"Miko, look at me." Sesshomaru ordered. When she did as she was told, he continued, holding up a small glass vial with a greenish-brown liquid inside. "You need to drink this. But I will warn you, you will feel like you are burning from the inside, out. That is because this potion has my own poison mixed in with it. But you must drink all of it if you wish to live."

She nodded slowly while one of the healers helped her sit up. She was determined to stay alive and prove Kiske wrong, so she took the vail and drank the potion is one gulp. Not even a moment later, she cried out in pain and grasped her throat.

She felt like every nerve ending in her body was on fire, but her throat got the worst of it. It made sense, considering that's where the poison started, but she never wanted so badly to tear her own throat out.

Sesshomaru left the room while the healers made her lay back down on the bed. She wanted to scream, but the searing pain in her throat made it impossible. Her vision soon began to fade, and within a few moments, she lost consciousness.

~Sesshomaru's POV~

It had been three days since the miko had taken the antidote, but she was still unconscious. The poison had left her body, and the scars were gone, even the injuries and bruises left by Inuyasha had healed unbelievably quickly, but still she would not wake.

When the poison was gone, she had been moved into her own room, but her pups never left her side. Even his ward, Rin, was constantly at her side. They were all growing more concerned by the day. They hardly ate anything, and slept next to her every night.

Even Sesshomaru himself was beginning to worry, though he would never admit it aloud. The antidote had worked, and she should've woken up by the next day.

But the strangest part was the fact that his poison, which had been mixed into the antidote, was still lingering in her body. It should have disappeared with the dragon's poison. And the miko's scent had changed slightly. She no longer smelled human, but she didn't smell like a youkai either. It was very confusing.

He still had healers going into her room to check on her several times a day, but even they were puzzled. She seemed perfectly healthy, aside from being unconscious. Maybe even healthier than she was before she had gotten poisoned.

On the fourth day, Sesshomaru was awakened by one of the healers frantically knocking on the door of his room. He got up and made his way to the door angrily. When he opened the door, Myora, and elderly Inuyoukai, and his best healer, gave a respectful bow.

"Why have you woken me, Myora?" He said with a low growl. The old woman rolled her eyes at him.

"Do not growl at me, pup. I simply thought you might like to know that the miko is awake." She snarled. Then she turned and walked two doors down, stopping at the miko's bedroom door and waiting for Sesshomaru. When he reached the door, Myora spoke again.

"Before you go in, you should know something." She stated.

"What?" He asked.

"The antidote cured her of the dragon's poison, but your poison lingered. And she has had a very strange reaction to it. She is very scared and confused right now. Try not to make it worse, pup." She explained.

Confused, but curious, he nodded. She slowly slid the door open for him and followed, closing it behind them. Looking around, he spotted the miko pacing restlessly in the back of the room.

"Miko?" He called. She immediately stopped pacing and turned towards him.

Her hair covered most of her face, but he could smell the change in her. She smelled like a full-blooded Inudaiyoukai. She smelled like him.

"Sesshomaru? What is going on? What happened to me? I feel so strange." She said fearfully. Myora stepped forward and spoke softly to her.

"Come here, child. Do not be afraid." She said, holding her hands out. The miko hesitated at first, but then she walked slowly over to the old woman.

Myora gently grabbed her hands ans led her over to the bed, motioning for her to sit down. Sesshomaru watched closely as Myora pushed the miko's hair away from her face. His eyes grew wide with shock when he saw how different she looked.

The miko's brown eyes were now gold, like his, and she had two blue stripes on each cheek that matched his red ones.

"How is this possible, Myora?" He asked. "She still has spiritual powers. How can she be both a miko and a daiyoukai?"

"I'm not sure. I've only ever heard of one other incident like this, but it was centuries ago. Another powerful miko was poisoned by a dragon, and it was none other than your father that cured her. But she was killed long before you were born." She explained.

"Where are my children?" The miko asked.

"I sent them to the dining hall. They have not been eating much since you lost consciousness four days ago." Myora said.

"Four days?!" She exclaimed.

"Calm yourself, miko." Sesshomaru said. "You may have been unconscious for a few days, but you're awake now. And the dragon poison is gone."

"Come, miko. We will get you cleaned up, and then we will take you to the dining hall to see your pups." Myora said with a motherly smile. She nodded and the old youkai turned to Sesshomaru.

"Can you please find her a decent kimono while I get her bathed?" She asked. Sesshomaru nodded and left the room while Myora led her to a door at the back of her room.

~Kagome's POV~

When the old youkai opened the door, Kagome's jaw dropped. The were facing a large indoor hot spring that flowed in from outside. There was a small table next to the spring with a white silk bath robe, some fresh towels and rags, and a bunch of different bottles of oils. Looking around the room, Kagome saw three other doors leading out.

"Where do those doors lead?" She asked.

"That one is Sesshomaru's room." She said, pointing to the door off to the left of hers. "And these two are the room your pups share, and Rin's room." She explained, pointing to the doors to the right of hers. Then she took Kagome to the edge of the water and helped her untie and remove the kimono she had been wearing since she escaped from the dragons.

"Why do you call them pups?" Kagome asked while Myora helped her sit in the hot water.

"We are Inuyoukai. Any child under our care, we see as our pups." She explained. "Even Rin. She is Sesshomaru's pup. It doesn't matter to us whether they are human or youkai. Or in your case, kitsune and wolf."

"I like the sound of that." Kagome said with a smile, She felt much better now that she had calmed down. Myora handed her a soft rag and grabbed a bottle of oil.

"Wash your body while I tend to your hair, miko." She said.

"My name is Kagome." She corrected. Myora chuckled.

"Apologies, Kagome. Sesshomaru never told me your name." She said.

Kagome dunked her hair under the water when Myora told her to and began washing her body when she resurfaced, while the old youkai began rubbing what smelled like lavender oil into her hair.

When Kagome was finished washing her body, she started inspecting herself. She was shocked to see that all of her bruises were gone. Even the gash she had in her side was gone. She was also marveling over her new markings.

She had one blue stripe on each wrist, one on each shoulder, two on either side of her ribcage, two on each hip, and one on each ankle. She also had long, sharp claws, fangs, and pointed ears like Sesshomaru.

"Rinse your hair, Kagome." Myora said, snapping her back to attention. She did as she was told, dunking her hair under the water and scrubbing until the oil was gone.

When she was done, Myora wrapped her hair in a towel and gave her another towel for her body. While Kagome dried off, Myora went back into her room to retrieve the kimono that Sesshomaru left.

Once she was dressed in the silver kimono, with gold vines decorating the bottom and the back, Myora brushed her hair and the two of them made their way to the dining hall.

Dinner was fairly quiet, other than the three children asking her questions about how she was feeling and how she became an Inudaiyoukai. When they were all finished, they retired to their rooms for the night. Kagome fell asleep that night with her pups, Shippo and Isamu, happy to be alive and healthy.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Meeting

Kagome woke up the next morning curled around her pups, who were awake and talking quietly to eachother. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.

"Good morning, pups." She said, stretching. Shippo and Isamu happily jumped into her lap and gave her a hug.

"Good morning, Mommy!" They said in unison.

There was a soft knock at the door. Kagome got up and walked to the door, trying to use her new sense of smell to find out who was outside. But she was too new to the sense to figure it out. She opened the door to find Myora holding a midnight blue kimono with a silver dragon adorning the back.

"Good morning, Kagome. May I come in?" She asked with a warm smile.

"Of course." Kagome said happily, standing aside for the old youkai. Myora walked past her and laid the kimono on the bed. Then she ruffled the pups' hair and turned back to Kagome.

"We are expected in the dining hall in a few minutes for breakfast, and then the children will go to lessons while you and I meet with Sesshomaru to discuss your necessary training." She explained, motioning for Kagome to remove her white sleeping yukata.

She quickly removed the yukata while Myora grabbed the kimono she had brought in. She slipped it on and made sure it was straight, and Myora tied the obi at her back.

"Exactly what do you mean when you say 'necessary training'?" Kagome asked while Myora braided her hair.

"You are a daiyoukai now, like Sesshomaru. You need special training to harness and control your new abilities. We will also help you to understand your new senses." She explained.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Kagome said with a smile. When Myora was finished with Kagome's hair, they all left the room and made their way towards the dining hall.

When they reached the double doors that led into the dining hall, Myora stopped Kagome.

"Here's your first lesson." Myora said smiling. "Close your eyes and tell me what you can smell." Kagome nodded and did as she was told, turning towards the doors and closing her eyes.

"I smell...fish, rice, raw and cooked boar meat, eggs, fruit, and stewed vegetables with rabbit meat." She said. But there was another scent that intrigued her. It smelled like a mixture of parchment and pine trees.

"Very good, Kagome. Anything else?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. It's like a mixture of parchment and pine." She said with a puzzled look on her face. Myora laughed.

"That would be Sesshomaru." Myora said, smiling. Kagome nodded and Myora opened the doors to let them in.

Sesshomaru sat at the head of the table with a plate of boar meat, both raw and cooked. Myora sat the children on the right side of the table and led Kagome around to sit just to the left of where Sesshomaru was seated. Then she sat next to Kagome and motioned for her to fill her plate.

Kagome grabbed some cooked fish and a bowl of rice, but she couldn't stop looking at the raw boar meat. She blushed when her stomach growled loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Myora chuckled. Sesshomaru put a decent-sized piece of meat on her plate and gave her an impatient glare. She just stared at the meat. She felt very strange for craving raw meat.

"It's okay, Miko. It's normal for a daiyoukai to crave raw meat. You will get used to it." Sesshomaru explained in a bored tone.

Kagome nodded and cut a small piece of the meat, taking a timid bite. She was shocked at how good it tasted.

When the children were done eating, a pretty, young panther youkai came in. Myora waved her over to the table and turned to Kagome.

"Kagome, this is Ikaro. She is Rin's teacher, and now, your childrens' teacher." Then she turned to the children. "Shippo, Isamu, go with Rin and Ikaro to begin your lessons. And be good."

"We will!" Shippo said with a wide grin. But Isamu looked unsure. She ran around the table and climbed into Kagome's lap.

"Do I have to go, Mommy?" Isamu asked sadly. Kagome ran her claws through the pup's hair comfortingly.

"You don't have to be afraid, sweetie. Learning new things is fun. And you will be with your brother and Rin. Besides, I'll see you later." Kagome said, giving Isamu a kiss on the forehead. Shippo came around the table and helped Isamu down, grabbing her hand.

"Come on, sis. This is going to be fun!" Shippo exclaimed, pulling her out of the room to follow Rin and Ikaro. When they were gone, Myora smiled.

"You are a very good mother, Kagome. Now, let's finish eating so we can discuss your training." She said happily. Kagome nodded and went back to eating her breakfast. She was completely oblivious to the strange look that Sesshomaru had been giving her since she had comforted Isamu.

When they were finished with breakfast, Sesshomaru called in one of his maids to clean up. Kagome noticed a set of large double doors on the opposite side of the room from the door they came in.

"Where does that lead?" Kagome asked, pointing to the doors.

"Those doors lead out into the garden." Myora answered.

"Really? Um...Sesshomaru? I haven't been outside in days. Could we please have our meeting outside?" Kagome inquired hopefully. He looked a bit irritated. Even more so when Myora spoke up.

"Don't be such a stubborn pup, Sesshomaru. I think talking outside sounds like a wonderful idea." Myora said. Then she took Kagome's arm and towed her towards the door without waiting for Sesshomaru to answer. Kagome was very surprised that Myora could get away with talking to him the way she did.

"How has he not killed you for talking to him like that?" Kagome whispered to Myora. She giggled and pulled her closer.

"Well, first of all, I'm his grandmother." She whispered. Kagome gasped. "And between you and me, he's not as violent as everyone thinks."

"You're joking, right?" Kagome asked, unbelieving. "He has tried to kill me so many times, I've lost count."

"What are you two talking about?" Sesshomaru asked from a few paces behind them, making Kagome jump.

"Nothing you would be interested in, I'm sure." Myora said with a sly smile.

Soon, they arrived at a small circle of cherry blossom trees with two simple wooden benches in the center. Kagome and Myora sat on one of them, while Sesshomaru sat opposite of them.

"Myora." Sesshomaru said.

"Yes, Sesshomaru?" She asked.

"You said that she is an inu, like us. If that is true, then why isn't her hair silver, like ours?" He asked, looking Kagome up and down.

"Well there are two possibilities. Either she hasn't fully completed her transformation, and she will have to change into her true form to fully complete it, or she is something that I haven't seen since before you were born." Myora explained. Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at her.

"What kind of something?" He pressed. Even Kagome was curious now.

"A black Inudaiyoukai." She said simply. Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly.

"That's not possible." He said.

"Oh, I assure you that it is, Sesshomaru." She said proudly.

"How can MY poison cause her to become a black inu when I am not one myself?" He asked.

"Because it is in your blood. Your uncle, Tora was a black inu. But he disappeared shortly before you were born." She explained sadly.

"What do you mean he 'disappeared'?" Kagome asked.

"He went into hiding. The East is ruled by Lord Ryuu. He is the leader of a vicious clan of dragons that hunted the black inus nearly to extinction." She said.

When Kagome heard the word 'dragon', her eyes turned red and a loud growl ripped it's way out of her throat. Myora stepped back when Kagome's body started to glow, much like Sesshomaru when he was about to transform. Sesshomaru stood up and took a step forward, not sure what to do.

"Sesshomaru, I think she wants to go after Ryuu. If she transforms, you are the only one strong enough to stop her. She has no training, and will get herself killed. If she truly is a black Inudaiyoukai, she must be protected." Myora explained frantically.


	7. Update

I'm sorry I haven't updated my story in so long. Currently, I have no internet. So the computer is pretty much useless at this point. But I have downloaded microsoft word onto my tablet and I am going to attempt to write and update my story from there. So hopefully you guys will start seeing new chapters and maybe even new stories here pretty soon.


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